NASA captures Caspian 'ghost island' vanishing act
Scientists at NASA have observed a mysterious island in the Caspian Sea that formed after the eruption of the Kumani Bank mud volcano off the coast of Azerbaijan. The "ghost island" appeared and then vanished just as quickly, according to the "New York Post."
NASA satellites captured images of the "ghost island," which emerged following the eruption of the Kumani Bank mud volcano in 2023, approximately 15 miles east of Azerbaijan's coast.
Mud volcanoes occur when underground pressure forces a mixture of fluids, gases, and sediments to the surface, as explained by the "New York Post." The emergence and subsequent disappearance of the mysterious island were documented by the remote sensing instruments aboard the Landsat 8 and 9 satellites.
According to the portal, by early November 2022, the island was still underwater. It surfaced in February 2023. NASA's images suggest the island could have been approximately 1,300 feet long. It emerged at the end of January 2023 and vanished completely by the end of 2024. Scientists described it as "retreating from view like an apparition," as the "New York Post quoted."
The Kumani Bank volcano has created similar temporary islands since its first recorded eruption in 1861, which formed a landmass with a diameter of 290 feet and a height of 11 feet above the water. That island lasted for a year.
In Azerbaijan, there are up to 300 mud volcanoes both on land and in the Caspian Sea. These are connected to an extensive hydrocarbon system in the South Caspian Basin, known for releasing flammable gases like methane, along with characteristic muddy sediment.
Mud vulcanoes are "weird and wonderful features that remain largely understudied and little understood," said geologist Mark Tingay at a seminar for the Geological Society of Australia, as quoted by the "NY Post."
